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I stumbled onto this handy looking gadget in Business 2.0 Magazine (March 2007).It was originally marketed as a device to help people remember to take their medications, but the gentleman talking about it used it as a silent alarm reminder throughout his busy day.

MeDose 6-Alarm Vibrating Wristwatch (www.epill.com) has a strong pulse and six alarms that can be set a minute apart.It is reminder with a discreet vibrating feature so that it will alert only you with six daily repeating vibrating or beeping alarms.It will vibrate for 20 seconds and no alarm reset is required.The watch also has normal time and date functions and has a large easy to read display with a backlight.

Originally designed for children with diabetes it is a great looking sports watch. It comes in adult and pediatric models and serves as a discreet reminder no matter where you are.In summary: it has multi-alarm set up, vibration or sound alarm, a count down/up timer, auto calendar, and an easy to read display with a backlight.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t clean my refrigerator out nearly as often as I say I am going to.I think about it for about 5 minutes, and then not again until I find something questionable that has been pushed to the back of the bottom shelf.

According to the

Home & Garden

Information

Center

(http://hgic.clemson.edu) seniors become more vulnerable to illness, and once ill, it can take them longer to recover. The best prevention is understanding that certain safeguards are necessary to remain free from food borne illness. Safe food handling practices are important when it comes to helping seniors stay healthy.

You have always been able to rely on your sense of taste or smell to tell whether something is safe to eat, but other factors enter into the picture when you get older.The sense of taste or smell can be affected by medication or illness, and you may not always know when meat is spoiled or milk is sour.

Never leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator for more than two hours, and know what is in your refrigerator and how long it has been there.Consult the above web site for other guidelines for safe food handling.

I read about an interesting gadget in the Home & Garden Section of the Herald (Thursday 22, 2007) that caught my interest. It is called“DaysAgo” and is a button (1 inch diameter dots that simply count the days with a digital display that lets you how long that leftover has been in the frig). They come with either a magnet or a suction cup and can be used to track food expiration dates as well as other tasks.I wish I had one of these to help me remember when to change the filter in my Brita Pitcher.You simply hold down the button for five seconds and it begins counting days (you can see how many hours have passed by pressing the activation button again).Read more: (www.howmanydaysago.com).

Sure, you could do the same thing by dating the items with a sticky note, but do you?

Spring is right around the corner and once again my thoughts are turning toward gardening.I don’t know why I do this to myself because my efforts are usually futile, but I can’t resist books and articles that assure me that my efforts will pay off.

Valerie Easton, the author of A Pattern Garden has written an article for The Seattle Times (Sunday, February 25, 2007) about Gardens in a Box.

Valerie assures us that there is nothing shameful about shortcuts because we do it everyday in other areas of our lives.You don’t think that using a cake mix makes you any less of a cook do you? Well, that’s another story.

Experts are trying to simplify our gardening with everything from lettuce mixes to borders in a box.What are the advantages of a prefabricated garden?These plant packages are put together by experts and are less expensive than buying individual plants, and often come in a ready made design.For gardening prefab might mean buying a container that is already planted, or a combination of bulbs that bloom in sequence (try putting that together on your own) or a preplanned herb garden.

Volunteering and “giving back” to the community is all well and good but volunteer jobs are often mindless, boring, and leave you will the feeling that you are just occupying space.You can probably tell that I’ve been less than thrilled about my initial forays into the world of volunteerism.

I think we all want to be recognized for our brains and skills as well as for our smiles, so pulling down bulletin boards for a busy teacher doesn’t go far when it comes to making us feel “important” or good about ourselves.So, be prepared to search far and wide to find a project that will give you a certain amount of satisfaction.

I was drawn to an advertising article in The Wall Street Journal (Saturday-Sunday, February 24-25, 2007) by Steve Kallaugher, titled Voluntourism: Good Times and Good Works.Vacations for seniors no longer need to be about rest, relaxation and acquiring a good tan.Voluntourism is about learning and doing good deeds for people.If you are interested in making a concrete connection with the world that is beyond giving just money you might like to give this some consideration.

Voluntourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry.More and more travelers are being drawn to volunteer opportunities, educational experiences, or religious trips than ever before.Voluntourism is about seeing the world from a first hand perspective rather than as a passive tourist looking through a window.It is a way of experiencing the country that you wants to visit by working, eating and living with the local residence. It is a way of understanding the culture and challenges of the people who live there.

There is no age limit and more than half of the volunteers are over the age of 50. If you are curious about the world, are flexible, patient and are willing to work as a team this may be for you.There are thousands of opportunities in every part of the world, so you can choose the program and place that suits your passion.Whatever you’re your interests there is a group that would love to take advantage of your skills.

Spring is coming! You may not have enough room for a garden plot in your backyard, but there is no reason why container gardening can’t be fun too.

Container Gardens have grown so popular that OXO Good Grips has designed a 6 piece Garden Set with tools scaled down to use and store in your mini sized garden (www.oxo.com).

The specifically designed tools have soft, comfortable, non-slip grips and are stored in a handy Caddy. These tools are not toys! The Floral Snips have stainless steel blades suitable for pruning and cutting, and spring-loaded locking handles for added stability.The trowel is made of strong durable stainless steel, and the Cultivator tines are angled on the curved head for ease in loosening soil in round pots and window boxes.The Multi-Use Transplanter has teeth for combing out compacted roots, a straight edge for removing rootballs (what in the world is a root ball?) and a curved head for loosening the soil in a round pot.The Scoop is equally compact and flexible.

Now, doesn’t that make you want to start planning and digging in your garden?

Senior women are no different than women at any age when it comes to their footwear. The time has come for us to be a little more serious about what we put on our feet. Unfortunately, words like foot care, footwear, and falling, are starting to show up in our vocabularies.

I work with seniors.Feet are very important when it comes to maintaining your independence.Foot problems can upset your balance and change the way you walk.Footwear styles (and women everywhere cringe at the words orthopedic or old lady shoes) that have minimal contact with the ground or poor grip can upset your balance.I have written about footwear before, but two of my residents suffered falls this last week, and the shoes they were wearing were definitely a contributing factor.

Take care of your feet.If you have any foot pain or problems see your doctor immediately.Do foot exercises to maintain good circulation in your feet, and just for the fun of it, indulge yourself with a foot massage.Wear suitable footwear.Many brands and styles of shoes are safe, comfortable and designed to use with an orthotic if needed.

Comfortable shoes don’t have to be “old lady” shoes.Many footwear makers (according to Teri Agins, writing for The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, February 22, 2007) have added an array of flats in recent years.It is now possible to look good and feel comfortable at the same time.Some shoes (her favorite Vara pump in particular) have a slightly matronly image, but fashion magazines are showing these shoes for the younger set now, so don’t be discouraged.

Stylish, walkable footwear are available in a range of prices.The properties that the best walking shoes have in common are:arch support or orthotics to help absorb shock, flexible rubber soles, round of broad toes, and heels or wedges that are an inch of less high.

Age is not an issue in Nordic Walking.If you are able to walk, you can do Nordic Walking.All ages and all fitness levels can unlock the calorie burning and aerobic benefits of Nordic Walking, which uses poles to improve your balance and stability as you propel yourself along.

What in the world is Nordic Walking?Basically it is regular walking made up to 40% more effective by the use of specifically designed hand-held Nordic Walker Poles.

This technique, specifically designed for the couch potatoes among us, is a safe form of rehabilitation for heart patients.It is good for those who are older and need more stability when walking, because of orthopedic problems or issues with balance.

There is no upper or lower age limit.All ages and fitness levels can benefit from the calorie burning and aerobic benefits of Nordic Walking.The poles help you to walk with a straight upper back and will improve your walking posture.The poles also decrease the stress to your shins, knees, hip and back.It is a low impact but effective workout as it uses more muscle groups than regular walking.

Walking with poles is an ideal workout for athletes, seniors, and even folks with balance issues like M.S. or Parkinson’s.Get an okay from your doctor and join a group.People may gawk a bit but soon they will be jealous when they see you doing something that is fun, cool, and good for you.

Liz Taylor writes an interesting column for The Seattle Times about growing older. On Monday, February 19, 2007 she touched on the subject of building a “safety circle” for yourself before you need it.

What is a safety circle anyway? We all say that we want to age gracefully, but it rarely ever happens and if it does, it requires some planning. Working with the elderly, I’ve seen all degrees of dementia, depression, medical problems, and the loneliness that plagues people as they grow older. Whether you plan to age in place in your own home or go somewhere else to get help it, it still requires considerable planning.

Ms. Taylor says it rather nicely when she states that growing older doesn’t happen overnight.You have many years to prepare and you should do it “deliberately” by putting plans in place while you still have control over what happens to you.

You should identify and enlist the cooperation of people who you care about you, to watch over and guide you as you get older.Naturally you will consider family members first but this might not always be possible.Other options might include good friends, neighbors and professionals in the aging field.These people might be called upon to serve as decision makers in the event that you become less than competent about making your own decisions.You also need someone to care about you to keep loneliness at bay, someone to encourage you to eat properly and to exercise, to protect you against scam artist and to ensure that you get good care (medically and/or long term care).

This isn’t something that you can pull together overnight, so don’t wait until you are in the hospital undergoing hip replacement surgery before you start planning for your future.Maintaining your independence and doing it your way is the key to successful (graceful if you prefer to use that word) aging.Check a recommended website called www.seattletimes.com/growingolder/ for an article about a group called Fiercely Independent Elders.Their goal is “to do a great job of growing old!” and the ideas are catching o

This isn’t just for seniors, but as we are all striving to simplify our lives, this item is perfect.We love our pets or we wouldn’t have them as members of our families but if you are tired of “commode” duty this could be the answer for you. Collecting cat waste in a box is unsanitary.Cleaning the mess is a chore.With CatGenie you will never have to scoop, touch or mess with cat liter again.

USA Weekend (Herald, February 9-11, 2007) had an article by Linda Formichelli on the latest pet technology.CatGenie is a self-flushing, self-washing cat box.The CatGenie is filled with permanent washable granules that resemble traditional liter.Then is washes itself.The GeniHand scrubs and scours both the basin and the granules to eliminate germs and odors.Then, the granules are aerated and the built-in hot air blower finishes the job.You just hook it up to water and power supplies, and push a button to automatically scoop and liquefy solids, drain liquids, flush the waste out of the home, wash and sanitize the box, and even dry the granules.

If you have a dog, the chances are pretty good that they have you programmed for an after dark walk. Walking at night can be dangerous for both you and for your pet. Hopefully, you are good about wearing something that reflects light, carry a flashlight, and have your cell phone with, but remember that your dog can help you too.

Visiglo has designed glowing dog collars and leashes that can keep your pet and you safe. (www.visiglo.com.au/vglowabout.htm). The battery operated illuminated collars and leashes are available in nine colors and come with padded handles and batteries.

Remember to let a neighbor or friend know about your after dark adventures, carry a cell phone, and stay close to home so that you are prepared if something unexpected happens.